巴斯克威尔的猎犬 夏洛克.福尔摩斯先生（5）

"Now, you will observe that he could not have been on the staff of ohe hospital, since only a

man well-established in a London practice could hold such a position, and such a one would not

drift into the country. What was he, then? If he was in the hospital and yet not on the staff he could

only have been a house-surpeon or a house-physician -- little more than a senior student. And he

left five years ago -- the date is on the stick. So your grave, middle-aged¹ family practitioner²

vanishes into thin air, my dear Watson, and there emerges a young fellow under thirty, amiable³,

unambitious, absent-minded, and the possessor of a favourite dog, which I should describe

roughly as being larger than a terrier and smaller than a mastiff."

“现在， 你可以看得出来， 他不会是主要医师， 因为只有当一个人在伦敦行医已有了相

当名望的时候， 才能据有这样的地位， 而这样的一个人就不会迁往乡 村去了。 那么， 他究竟

是个做什么的呢？ 如果说他是在医院里工作而又不算在主要医师之列， 那么他就只可能是个

住院外科医生或者是住院内科医生——地位稍稍高于医学院最高年级的学生； 而他是在五年

以前离开的——日期是刻在手杖上的， 因此你的那位严肃的、 中年的医生就化为乌有了。 亲

爱的华生， 可是这里出现了一位青年人， 不到三十岁， 和蔼可亲、 安于现状、 马马虎虎， 他

还有一只心爱的狗， 我可以大略地把它形容成比狸犬大， 比獒犬小。”

I laughed incredulously as Sherlock Holmes leaned back in his settee and blew little

wavering rings of smoke up to the ceiling.

我不相信地笑了起来。 歇洛克· 福尔摩斯向后靠在长椅上， 向天花板上吐着飘荡不定的

小烟圈。

"As to the latter part, I have no means of checking you," said I, "but at least it is not difficult

to find out a few particulars about the man's age and professional career." From my small medical

shelf I took down the Medical Directory and turned up the name. There were several Mortimers,

but only one who could be our visitor. I read his record aloud.

“至于后一部份， 我无法检查你是否正确，” 我说，“但是要想找出几个有关他的年龄和

履历的特点来， 至少是不怎么困难的。” 我从我那小小的放医学书籍的书架上拿下一本医药

手册来， 翻到人名栏的地方。 里面有好几个姓摩梯末的， 但只有一个可能是我们的来客。 我

高声地读出了这段记载：

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

3 amiable   

adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的

参考例句：

• She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
• We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。